His masculine face and broad shoulders made her reconsider whether or not she should take this seriously. He had shining green eyes and a kind smile that made her believe he was a good man.
She read his profile and learned that he had just graduated from the Bright Institute for Shifters and had taken a positon with the Fate Mountain Police Department. That meant he lived here in town. Her heart felt like it would burst and anxiety coursed through her veins.
Rosa groaned and turned off her screen. She didn't have time for this right now. She had to find her sister and nothing else mattered. It couldn’t. She stood and rubbed her face, deciding to take a shower. Grabbing some things from her bag, she decided she would delete her profile and information from Mate.com as soon as she was done.
She trudged into the bathroom and turned on the shower, peeling off her clothes. She sighed in contentment as she stepped under the warm stream and washed off the dust and dirt that had accumulated from traveling. She was so wound up that she doubted she would sleep tonight.
Finishing up her shower, she stepped out and wrapped herself in a big fluffy towel. She took a look at herself through the steam fogging up the mirror. There were bags under her big brown eyes and her golden brown skin was paler than usual. She pursed her lips and turned away from the mirror. Her appearance didn't matter right now. Nothing mattered until she found Maria.
After she got dressed, she picked up her phone and flicked across the screen. To her complete surprise, there was a new message from Mate.com.
Chapter 2
Heath Reynolds took a sip of his coffee as he stopped at a red light on the highway that ran through Fate Mountain Village. He’d been on the police force for over a year, but the Bear Patrol still called him Cadet Bear. It was an affectionate title he’d come to appreciate. It meant the guys accepted him as part of their crew, even though he hadn’t served in the same regiment with them in the Great War.
The light turned green and Heath continued down the street. Things had been quiet in Fate Mountain since the Bear Patrol had taken down the crystal meth labs in the mountains. The humans who’d been using the drugs were getting the treatment they needed. Now, there wasn’t a lot of action. A fact Heath didn’t mind. It meant that he and the Bear Patrol were doing their job.
He was proud to be a part of the Bear Patrol. He had wanted to be a police officer since before he’d been drafted into the war. Now, he was living his dream. Heath was a man who wanted nothing more than to serve and protect his community. It gave him a strong sense of purpose and added meaning to his life.
As he came to the edge of town, he took a right turn into a residential neighborhood and slowly drove under the dim street lamps along the road. There wasn’t anything going on out here either, so he turned around in the cul-de-sac and headed back across the highway.
He patrolled around the apartment buildings near the road and then pulled into the parking lot of the diner. It was time for some fresh coffee and a chat with whoever was on shift tonight.
Heath went into the diner and sat at the bar, facing the window into the kitchen. Neither Shane nor Lily Keenan were working this late.
Shane Keenan was on the Rescue Bear Crew—the Fate Mountain Search and Rescue Team. The Keenans were both bear shifters like Heath, and they were all part of the larger Fate Mountain Bear Clan. The Bear Patrol worked closely with the Rescue Bears, in fact they were all like one big happy family.
Heath thought about the last time the whole gang had gotten together for a barbecue at Fate Mountain Lodge. It was right after Detective Gauge had found his mate Lola at the drug camp. He had saved her from her evil stepbrother and brought her home. Through a twist of fate, Gauge had found his mate through Mate.com right before he infiltrated the drug camp.
Heath had been a member of Mate.com for over a year, ever since he’d come to town to be a student at the Bright Institute for Shifters. He had studied hard to finish his high school degree.
Because Heath had had to drop out of school to take care of his dying mother, he hadn’t been able to get his diploma before the war. When the shifters had been drafted into the war, the government hadn’t cared that Heath didn’t have his high school diploma. He’d been shipped off to war anyway.
Luckily for him, Corey Bright and his wife, Willow, had started the Bright Institute for Shifters for people like him. The Fate Mountain Police Department had accepted him onto the force right after graduation and his preliminary law enforcement training.
In all of that time, he still hadn’t found a mate. Since graduating from the Institute and joining the force, he had used his shifter military bonus to buy himself a house and a car. He had everything that he needed to start a family. The only thing that was missing unfortunately, was the right woman. She just hadn’t come along yet.
Thinking about Mate.com, he pulled his phone out of his pocket and began to navigate through the screens. That’s when Maggie, the night waitress, walked out from the kitchen and around the bar to stand in front of him.
“I didn’t hear you come in, Heath,” Maggie said. “I’m sorry I took so long. What can I get for you?”
“I’ll start with some coffee and a piece of apple pie.”
She turned, pulling the coffee pot out of the machine, and poured the coffee into his porcelain cup. Heath took a sip of his coffee and continued navigating through his phone. Not seeing any matches, he set the phone back down on the counter. Maggie handed him his piece of apple pie and squirted whipped cream on top.
“Still haven’t found your fated mate, huh?” Maggie asked.
“Not yet.”
He had come into the diner almost every night since starting this shift and had come to know Maggie pretty well. She was a pretty, curvy, brunette human woman who was married to a human mechanic at Fate Mountain Auto. Maggie knew about his search for a mate and was always rooting for him.
“Just keep believing, hon. She’ll turn up eventually. Right when you least expect it.”
He cut into his apple pie with the side of his fork and shoved a bite in his mouth. He loved his job and crew, but without his mate he felt like something was missing from his life. He took another long swig of coffee and Maggie filled it up again on her way down the bar.
When he was done with his pie, and was pushing away from the bar, he heard his phone buzz on the counter. He picked it up, thinking it was a text message from Commander Morris, his police chief, or from one of the other guys on the Bear Patrol. To his surprise, it was a message from Mate.com.
“Congratulations! We found your fated mate.”
“Maggie! I found her.”
“Really?” Maggie said excitedly.
She walked over to where Heath was sitting and leaned across the counter to look at his phone as he clicked on his mate’s profile. Her name was Rosa Reyes. She had big brown eyes and flowing brown hair that waved around her narrow shoulders. She had a beautiful, curvaceous body that sang to him through the screen of his phone. She was absolutely stunning. He quickly read her profile and found out that she was an administrative assistant from Los Angeles.
“Well? Who is she?” Maggie asked.
“Her name is Rosa. And she’s from Los Angeles.”
He’s shoulders slumped. His mate was in LA. He loved his crew and he couldn’t imagine leaving them now. Rosa was all the way down in Southern California while he was in Northern Oregon. He turned the screen of his phone and showed Rosa’s profile picture to Maggie.
“She’s really pretty,” Maggie said sincerely. “You’re lucky.”
“How are we supposed to be together when we’re so far apart?” he mused.
“I don’t know, hon. All I know is that with fated mates, these things usually work themselves out. Especially here on Fate Mountain. As a matter of fact, Lily told me that she met a strange girl who looked a lot like your Rosa, earlier today. She was looking for her sister.”
“I’m sure it’s just a coincidence.”
“Heath, th
is is Fate Mountain. There are no coincidences. I’m going to check the credit card receipts,” Maggie said in an amused tone.
“Maggie, that’s just silly.”
But it was already too late, Maggie was digging through the cash register for the receipts from earlier that day. She shuffled through a stack of them, focusing on each one for a second so she could read it.
“I knew it,” Maggie said triumphantly.
“No way,” he said, almost choking on his coffee.
Maggie slapped the receipt down on the counter in front of Heath. He read the fine print on the receipt, seeing the words Rosa Reyes right there in plain letters.
“That means she’s close. We could even meet.”
“Why don’t you text her?”
“It’s so late.”
“It’s never too late for love.”
“Okay Maggie, you’ve talked me into it.”
Maggie giggled and filled is coffee cup a third time before she walked around the corner of the bar and went to go check on some college students who were just coming into the restaurant. She pulled the menus from the front counter and escorted the guests down to a booth at the far end of the dining room.
Heath tapped the “message now” button on Rosa’s profile, bringing up the text pad. He let out a long sigh, not knowing what to say. His heart was pounding in his ears, and he was more nervous than he could ever remember being.
“Hi Rosa. It’s me, Heath. I was hoping we could meet sometime soon.”
He sat there and stared at the text for several moments. Finally, he sent the message, not knowing what to expect. Maggie had proved to him that Rosa was here on Fate Mountain, but he still had no idea how to proceed. He sat there staring at his phone, willing her to reply. He was still waiting when Maggie finally came back over to skirt around the bar and pick up the coffee pot.
“Did you text her?” Maggie asked as she passed him on her way to serve the college students their coffee.
“I texted her. But she hasn’t replied.”
“Well, you said it yourself. It is pretty late. Just be patient, hon. Everything will work out all right.”
“Thanks Maggie.” Heath said. “Keep the change.”
He slid a ten-dollar bill under the pie plate as he stood from his stool.
“Have I ever told you you’re my favorite customer?” Maggie teased as Heath made his way to the door.
“I’m sure you say that to everyone on the Bear Patrol,” Heath teased.
“Maybe I do. But you’re still my favorite. Go get your girl.”
“Thanks, Maggie,” Heath said on his way out of the diner.
He climbed into his patrol car and turned over the motor. Right when he was about to pull out of the parking lot, his cell phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out and flicked his finger across the screen, bringing up a text message from Mate.com.
“Hi Heath. I’m sorry that I got your hopes up. I’m in a really bad situation right now. I don’t think this is very good timing.”
He read her message over and over again, trying to comprehend what she had just said. This couldn’t be happening. She was his fated mate. She was his one and only. She couldn’t tell him that it wasn’t a good time. It was always a good time to find your fated mate. They belong together.
“Whatever the problem is, I’m ready to do whatever it takes. Maybe I can help you.”
“It’s a private family matter. I’m going to delete my account now. I’m sorry that I did this to you.”
“Don’t delete your account. If you aren’t ready to meet yet, that’s fine. We can do it another time.”
“I’m afraid that won’t be possible. Goodbye Heath.”
He felt his inner grizzly jump inside his head and roar at the top of its lungs. He could barely think from the cacophony of sound inside his head. He tried to text her back again but there was an error, saying that the user was no longer available.
He slammed his fist into the steering wheel, cursing everything in existence. How could he possibly have such bad luck? Rosa was the girl for him. The girl he was supposed to be with forever and ever. Without her, he had no idea what he would do with the rest of his life.
His grizzly moaned inside his head. He and his inner bear were on exactly the same page. He felt a tear squeeze out of the corner of his eye, and he wiped it away. He had never felt so defeated or so helpless in all his life. He took a deep breath and let it out, trying to calm the anger and frustration raging inside him. She was either still in town or had just been in town only a few hours ago. There was a good chance she was close. He pulled out of the parking lot and got onto the highway, determined to spend the rest of his shift searching for her.
Chapter 3
Rosa woke up the next day still feeling terrible about what she’d done to the poor shifter. She had only signed up for Mate.com because she was bored and feeling lonely. It was selfish of her to want some momentary attention from a seemingly sweet man like Heath. But she knew she didn’t have the time or the energy to give to him. She needed all her strength and all of her mental faculties focused on finding her sister.
Rosa hastily got ready for the day and left the hotel room. She drove over to the diner for breakfast, wanting to get a bite to eat before she hit the road. When she parked in front of the diner, she noticed a Fate Mountain Police Department squad car parked out front. A new wave of guilt washed over her but she shoved it aside. She couldn’t keep letting this get to her. What’s done was done. Hopefully, Heath would get over it and move on with his life. It’s not like they’d even met.
But Rosa knew that fated mates were too important to shifters to just forget about it. He would never find another fated mate for the rest of his life. The only one that existed was her.
Being a human, it seemed a little funny, but she couldn’t give him what he needed right now. She couldn’t have him getting in the way of her search for Maria. He would just tell her she was on a wild goose chase and distract her with flowers and dinner. Rosa wasn’t about to leave her sister in the hands of whatever sick bastards had taken her. Maybe it was just her intuition driving her, but that was good enough for Rosa. She had to do something to protect her family.
As she pushed into the diner, she noticed a uniformed police officer turn on his stool and stand in the aisle between the booths and the counter. When she looked up at his face, her knees went weak. It was Heath. He was sexier than his picture had even been able to capture. He was at least six three, with a body like a football player. Solid muscle and broad shoulders filled out his uniform. His gun was slung across his hip and a bright gold star was placed on his chest.
When he noticed her, his nostrils flared. He stared at her across the space between them. Her breathing was heavy and her heart fluttered like a wild butterfly. Lily grabbed a menu from the menu rack. Her gaze went from Rosa to Heath and back again. Rosa was transfixed by Heath’s green eyes. She was stunned in place, unable to move.
Rosa was a live wire of nerve endings. She felt every vibration around her in the air throughout the room.
“Is something going on here?” Lily asked meaningfully.
Heath finally came out of his own trance and blinked his eyes several times.
“Lily,” he said. “Meet my mate, Rosa Reyes.”
“You two are mates?” Lily asked excitedly. “I thought I smelled something strange going on.”
“We met on Mate.com last night,” Rosa said in a strangled voice.
This was the last thing she’d expected to happen. She should have just gotten in the car and drove away. Now she had to have this confrontation with a man who believed she was the love of his life. She felt something between fear and panic. She couldn’t quite figure out what to do or how to act.
It wasn’t as if she was opposed to love. And it wasn’t like Heath didn’t seem like an amazing man that any woman would be lucky to have. Quite the opposite in fact. But the timing couldn’t be worse. Rosa had to find her sister. Ro
sa was the only one who cared about Maria. The police in Southern California had been clear that they were not going to do anything further for her. They were sure Maria had just run away.
“Rosa,” he whispered.
The sound of his voice made a tingle go down her spine and radiate through her core. She was instantly aroused from somewhere deep inside her that she couldn’t have imagined would be affected at a time like this.
“Can I buy you breakfast?” Heath asked.
Rosa was running low on money. She would have to go back to work soon if she wanted to eat or have a roof over her head. As it was, she was already late on two credit card bills. Maybe letting Heath buy her breakfast wouldn’t be all that bad after all. She had to keep looking for Maria at all costs.
“Okay,” she said.
Lily led them to a booth and set a menu down at the table in front of Rosa. Rosa glanced at the menu and then back up into Heath’s gorgeous face. She couldn’t believe how attractive he was. He was a big, brute of a man with height and muscle that made him imposing. But at the same time, there was something so sweet and kind about him and it radiated out through his green eyes and shot her right in the heart.
“Are you on duty?” she asked him, noticing his uniform.
“I just got off my shift. So I can spend some time with you.”
Lily came back a moment later and filled Rosa’s coffee cup with a smile on her lips. Clearly, the waitress thought it was amusing that Rosa and Heath had found each other at the diner this morning. Rosa, on the other hand, didn’t find it amusing at all. She was having all kinds of feelings that she just couldn’t deal with right now. Her heart ached and her body sang with need. She loaded her coffee with cream and sugar and drank half the cup in one gulp before setting it back down on the table.
“What’s good?” she asked Heath, looking down at the menu.